Information retrieval apparatus



Jan. 14, 1964 J. STERN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 29, 1962 INVENTOR Joshua Szem ATTORNEY (121 2, 14

% AGENT Jan. 14, 1964 J STERN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL APPARATUS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1962 f05/rua 51 em Cu); iSuLQATTORNEYAGENT Jan. 14, 1964 STERN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet3 Filed June 29, 1962 Joshua Szem ATTORNEY W (6. (AW AGENT Jan. 14, 1964J. STERN 3,117,491

INFORMATION RETRIEVAL APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN TOR fos/u/a Slem BY ,fi gl 2! a ATTORNEY AGENT Jan. 14, 1964 J. STERN3,117,491

INFORMATION RETRIEVAL APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1962 5 Sheets-SheetINVENT OR Joshua Jzefn BY AGMJLPQH ATTOKNEY AGENT United States Patent()filice Patented Jan. 1d, 1964 led dune 29, 1962, No. 267,171

7 (Claims. (Cl. 88-24) This invention ates to information retrievalapparatus, and more ptularly to apparatus for mechanizing certain of thesteps involved in retrieving information by the pceiz-aboo te 1 e.

in recent years, the difficulties encountered in retrieving informationcontained in published literature (documents) have become acute becauseof the rate at which such documents are appearing. To cope with theproblem, various eliorts have been made to develop complex machines thatwill search a vast memory automatically and "h the documents sought in adesired form. Un- J. lately, such machines usually are costly andrequire a centralized mode of operation. Even if centralization is not arequirement, they are frequently of such a nature results of the searchduring progress thereof.

The apparatus of the present invention is relatively inexpensive, needsnot be centralized, and provides a continuous indie on of the results ofa search as the search progresses. It is based on the peel-a-bootechnique, wherein given sets of documents are indexed on associatedsets of optical coincidence members such as cards, film sheets or thelike, commonly designated as peek-a-boo iembers. Peek-a-boo cards, forexample, are punched cards, each of which represents an index term andhas punched th ein eek-a-boo indications comprising holes Whose positioidentify documents pertaining to the index term. in the most commonsearch operation performed with peek-a-boo cards, the peek-a-boo cardsof a search pres io-ion are stacked in alignment, whereby the pos is ofholes that rem unobscured by any of the in the stacl: identify tnedocuments satisfying the prescription.

in the ordinary use of the peel -a-boo cards, the position of a holecommon to all cards in a stack of cards is interpreted by the searcheras a document serial number by 1 cans of a coordinate grid printed uponthe card or n a transpar nt overlay. The searcher is directed by theseserial nuiu s to a iile (serial storage) of citations and abstracts ofthe documents sought or to a file of the documents themselves. it hasbeen found that searchers such as scientific personnel, whose primaryfunctions are not searching, tend to copy all document serial numbersout checking each in turn, thereby failing to avail emselves of thecontinuous indication of search progress embodied in the apparatus.Moreover, such occasearchers often are predisposed to regardunfavoraratus involvin serial numbers and file cabinets. e occasionalsearcher is often the one who would o t most from the use or" thepeek-a-boo techn ue, would be desirable to eliminate the need to co y anumber and proceed to a file. It would be hichly am to provide a shortabstract, extract, summary, or tle like, of ti document associated witha peelt-a-boo ind cation com ton to a stack of peeh-a-l oo member in re36.886 to the sii p e setting of selector means on the incl -ion bysearcher.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide appara uswhich embodies the above-described desired f .urcs. in brief, theapparatus is adapted. for use with sets of peelc-a-boo members for whichcorresponding abstracts, extracts, summaries, or the like, have beenprepared and whose microimagcs have been recorded on some medium, suchas a sheet of photographic film. The microimages are arranged in anarray that is in one-to-one correspondence with the array of holes inthe peek-a-boo members. The film sheet ass ciated with the peelc-a-booset being searched is selected and mounted on a carriage member whoserange of movement is such that any microimage on the film sheet may bepositioned in operative relationship with image-projecting means. Theoperator arranges selected peeks-boo members on a suitable surface andmanipulates controls to position selector means on each peeks-booindication in turn. The apparatus is so arranged that movement of thecontrols causes r'ilm sheet carriage member to be positioned andautomatically aligned with respect to the image-projecting means,whereby an enlarged, readily readable, focused, and centered image ofthe abstract or the like corresponding to that position is projected ona screen in front of the searcher as the selector is set on each of thepeek-a-boo indications common to all peek-a-boo n embers turn. Thus thesearcher is immediately informed of the nature of each documentretrieved in turn by his search press tion, enabling him to guide hissearch efifectively. For example, he can rapidly detect and ad nst forsuch contingencies as misinterpretation of ind *1 terms by indexer andsearcher, unanticipated interrerence from information of Whose existencehe was unaware, misconceptions about the volume of relevant in ormationin the collection, and even modification of his interest as he acquiresnew information. Central to the conception of the role of the machineand of the role of the searcher is the existence of a close bond orcommunication link between the two. The net result, in servomechanismterminology, is to make the searcher an element of a real-time feedbaclloop. Accordingly, depth or specificity of search may be readilyadjusted. The benefit deriving therefrom is that the searcher is enabledto browse the collection of abstracts and hence, indirectly, of thedocuments themselves.

Another object of this invention, therefore, to provide informationretrieval apparatus for use with pcekaboo members, which mechanizes theoperation of obtaining a document abstract or the like on the basis ofthe corresponding peek-a-boo indication, whereby the operator mayreadily evaluate the progress of his search and modify the searchprescription if necessary.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for use withpeelr-a-boo members which is operated by the simple, convenient act ofsetting a selector over a peel -a-boo indication to obtain an abstractor the like corresponding to that indication.

A further object is to provide apparatus for use with peek-a-boo memberswhich is operated by set ng a selector over peek-a-boo indications andwhich displays enlarged images of abstracts or the like, the apparatusautomatically centering the image so that the operator nes not exerciseexcessive and time in setting the selector. These and other objects ofthe present invent n will be apparent from the folio g descrip ion whentaken coniunction with the drawings, wherein reference numerals refer tolike parts tlnoughout the figures, wherein:

FIG. 1. is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of informationretrieval apparatus cortructed accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

Fl". 2 is a perspective view of a pref ,rrcd embo iment of a peek-a-boocard set and its associated film sheet for use with the apparatus ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan View of the apparatus of l, in which the top covershave be it removed to show the mechanisms contained therein;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the optical elements of the apparatustaken on the line 4-4- of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the right end of the spool for holding thefilm sheet, taken on the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the left end of the spool, taken on the line6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the spool, taken on the line7--7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the rotational drive and indexingmeans for the spool, taken on the line d8 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation of the translational drive and indexingmeans for the spool, taken on the line 99 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the translational control member, takenon the line lll'ltlof HG. 3;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the illuminated card supporting plate,taken on the line llll of FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is a detailed perspective view of a part of the detent pinmechanism shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is an electrical wiring diagram of the apparatus; and

FIG. 14 is a detailed perspective view of the switches forming part ofthe control member shown in F168. 3 and 10.

In a preferred embodiment of information retrieval apparatus constructedin accordance with the invention and illustrated in FIG. 1, a cabinetstructure 15 is provided to house the apparatus so that it mayconveniently be placed on a desk, table or the like. The cabinetstructure 15 includes a sloping front 16, the central portion 17 ofwhich is depressed and inclined to form a lower ledge 18. An opening 19is provided in the central portion 17 to afford access to a surface 2%that is adapted to receive peek-a-boo members. Arranged to select anydesired peek-a-boo indication, to be described hereinafter, are selectormeans 25, which are actuated by the control members 3%, 3 1. Disposed onthe top portion of the cabinet structure 15 is a viewing screen 35,which is protected from overhead glare by a shield 36. In use, enlargedimages of microima-ges disposed in the cabinet structure 15 areprojected onto the screen 35, the particular image displayed beingselected by the aforementioned control members 3tl, 31. To provideelectrical energy for the apparatus, a conventional power cord (notshown) is provided, the energy being controlled by a switch 37 disposedon the sloping front 16.

FIG. 2 illustrates a typical set of peek-a-boo members 40 and associatedfilm sheet adapted for use in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. The set ofpeek-a-boo members 40 comprises an index to a collection of documents(not shown) such as published articles, patents, and the like, whichhave been characterized by index terms. Reference may be had to chapter6 of the volume entitled Punched Cards, by Casey et -al., published byRheinhold, New York (1958), for a discussion of the manner in whichdocuments are characterized by index terms. For present purposes, indexterms may be thought of as being similar to the index words contained inthe ordinary index to a book, magazine, or the like. In the peek-a-bootechnique, the documents are divided into convenient sets, the maximumnumber of documents in a set being determined by the capacity of thepee-k-a-boo members, as explained herein-after. Accordingly, a set ofindex terms associated with each set of documents is evolved.

Having arrived at sets of documents and associated sets of index terms,each set of index terms is handled as follows. Each index term of theset is assigned a peek-aboo member, as illustrated by index term 42assigned to the card 41, which is a member of the set of peek-a-boomembers of FIG. 2. The index term 42 is disposed on the card 41 in anyconvenient manner, as by writing, typewriting, or the like. In similarmanner, index term 22' is disposed on card 41'. The area oi any card,such as card 4-1 or 41, is divided into an array of possible indication,or hole, positions, with each position dedicated to a particulardocument of the set of documents. The positions of documents pertainingto index term 42 of card ll are accordingly punched, as illustrated bythe typical peek-a-boo indication comprising hole 43:. Similarly, thepositions of documents pertaining to index term 42 are punched asillustrated by hole d3 in card ll. Thus the collection of holes on card41, for example, directly identifies all documents relating to the indexterm 42. Conversely, each member of the set iii representing termsrelated to a given document will have a hole at the identical positionfor that document, and all others of the set of members ill will have nohole at that position. Accordingly, if two or more cards such as cardsll, dd are selected and stacked (i.e., superimposed), holes which arenot obscured but common to all cards identify documents each of whichrelates to all of the selected index terms. The result of such stackingoperation is conmonly referred to as the log al product and is the mostcommon function performed with the peck-a-boo technique. Other functionsare possible, but are not essential to the present apparatus.

The maximum number of documents that can be handled by a set ofpeek-a-boo members is of course dependent on the maximum. number ofpossible hole positions. In a preferred embodiment, the peek-a-boomembers 4%) consists of 5" x 8 vinyl plastic cards having a capacity of18,000 holes arranged in 180 columns and rows, the holes being 1 mm.between centers and 0.6 mm. in diameter. Such cards are convenientlyhandled by the indexer and searcher, are dura lo, and dimensionallystable with changes in temperature and humidity. The present inventionis not limited to the above-described cards, but may be employed withany pcek-a-boo member, such as film strips, film sheets, or the like.More over, instead of using holes to provide optical coincidence,nonpunched, light transmitting areas may be used if desired. In suchcase, the peek-a-boo members may be microforms, and the stackingoperation may be performed by using projected images thereof at thesurface Zil.

Referring now to the film sheet 45 illustrated in H6. 2, it will benoted that it has an array of microimages such as microimages 46, dothereon. The array of microimages corresponds on a one-to-one basis withth array of possible peek-a-bco hole positions of the peelca-boo membersit). Thus, in the embodiment wherein the of members 40* has an array of186 by 100 peek-a-boo holes or indications, the film matrix 45 has acorresponding array of by 100 microimages. Each microimage such asmicroimage 46 is therefore associated with the document identified bythe position of that microimage in the array.

In an illustrative embodiment, each microimage such as microimage as isa microfilm of a brief summary of the contents of the associateddocument. The short summary consists of the usual abstract plus acitation of the complete document. The summary is such that it may beread in a period consistent with the operation times of the apparatus todetermine whether the document corresponding to the summary is inaccordance with the desires of the searcher.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, it may be seen that the cabinet housing15 contains a large horizontal base plate 55!) coextensive with thebottom thereof, and a smaller inclined plate 5i. approximatelycoextensive with the central portion 17 of sloping front 16. Theinclined plate 5 forms an angle of approximately 45 with the base plate50 to position the surface in substantially normal to the operators lineof vision. The bottom portion of the inclined plate 51 extends through arectangular opening 52 provided in base plate 5t). Carried by theinclined plate 51 are the surface 29, selector 25, control members 3-0,311 and screen 35, while base plate 5% carries the film sheet carriage555 and image-projecting means indicated generally at 156', and to bedescribed hereinafter.

As shown in PEG. 3, surface 213 is provided with three short pins 214which serve to accurately align peek-aboo cards such as cards ll, 41'thereon. Clip mechanism 24 is provided to hold the cards in the alignedposition.

To easily identify unobscured holes in the cards, the surface 29 istranslucent and is illuminated from beneath, as shown in FIG. ll.Surface 2 1? is carried by a box-like member M1 attached to inclinedplate 51 and enclosing a fluorescent light tube 162. Disposedimmediately under surface 263 is a sheet ill?) of blue filter materialwhich serves to increase the contrast between the holes and card matrial of the peck-a-boo cards 41, 51'.

Still referring to FIGS. 11 and 3, it may be seen that the selector 25for selecting peeks-boo indications consists of two coordinate cursors26, 27 each consisting of a thin, flexible, strip of clear plasticmaterial upon which is engraved two parallel lines 23. in this manner,the intersecilufl of the cursors forms a small square 29 which can bereadily set over a peel -a-boo indication on the cards it, ill, as willbe explained hereinafter.

E ch of the cursors 25, 2'? is attached to a respective bearing block611., 62. As shown in HS. 11, bearing block 62 is provided with linearball bearings 63 to reduce the friction between the bearing lock and therails or. upon which it rides. Bearing block 61 is similarly providedwith linear ball bearings (not shown) and rides on rails es. Rails 64are attached at their ends to supporting blocks as which in turn areattached to inclined plate 51. The rails are disposed sligh ly higherthan rails as (which are attached to blocks e7 connected to the plate53.), whereby the rails 64 may overlay the rails 65.

As previously mentioned, the selector 25 is operated by means of thecontrol members 3%, 31. To accomplish the foregoing, the control members30, 31 are connected to cursors 27, respectively, via cable linkages.Specifically, the control member 3b, which is a wheel adapted to beturned by hand, is operatively associated with a shaft '11, in a mannerto be described hereinafter. Attached to the shaft '71 is drive pulley'72 around which several turns of a cable '33 are wound, the cable beingguided by idler pulleys "l4 and attached to hearing block 61 by means ofa clamp member '75. Spring 76 is inserted in the cable run to tensionthe cable and thereby prevent slippage at pulley T 2. Actua ion ofcontrol member 3t thus translates cursor as over the length of referencesurface Referring now to F168. 3 and it), the cable linkage between theother control member Eli and cursor 27 may be seen. Attached to hearingblock 62, which carries cursor 2'7", is a cable 7? which in turn is runover idler pulleys drive pulley 7"), shown in FIG. 10. Pulley 73" is toL 2. attached directly to shaft 842 by means of a recessed set screw 31,whereby pulley '79 is operatively associated with control member 31. Therelation between control memher 33 and shaft 30, FIG. 10, will beexplained hereinaft'r. Returning to cable 77, it will be seen that it iswound several times around pulley 79, tension-ed by means of 3?. and clapod to bearing block 62 by clamp whereby slippage at pulley 79 isprevented. Referring now to H68. 3 and -7, the film sheet carriage PEG.3, will be described. As seen best in FIG. 7, the film ihcet d5 isdetachably mounted on a generally spool-she ed carriage 555 by means ofclips This spool-s1 ed carriage consists of circular end plates 9i, E68.5 and 6, having central bores therein that Ircu ar tube 93%. On theirouter edges the end plates 91, 2 engage short sections (rims) 94, 95' oflarge di meter tubing. The tu es d3, 94, and 95 are fastened to the endplates 91, 92 by any convenient means, as by welding.

Concentricslly disposed within the interior of tube 93 is one age a 6 ashaft 56 which is engaged by linear ball bearings 96, 97 attached to thetube 93. The left-hand portion of shaft So carries a key 57, and bearing96 accordingly is less than a full circle to accommodate it.

As best seen in FlG. 6, the end plate 91 is provided with means toengage key 57 so that the carriage 55 may be rotated by rotating shaft56. Such means comprise a wedge-shaped block lid attached to end plate91 by screws 111 and having depending therebeneath a pair of ballbearings 112, 113, that bear on opposite sides of key 57. The pressureexerted by bearings 112, 113 on key 57 is adjustable by means of a screwil ipassing through the width of wedge-shaped block 11%, the block beingsplit to provide the necessary spring action. From the foregoing, itwill be evident that rotation of shaft 56, which extends across thewidth of horizontal base plate 5d and is carried by supports 58 attachedto plate 5%, FIG. 3, v. ll result in rotation of the film carriage 55.

Film carriage 55 is further adapted to be translated axially along shaft5d. With reference to FIGS. 5, 7 and 9, it will be seen that the shortouter tube of carriage 55 is provided with a groove 12% that is engagedby a dog 112d, FIG. 5, carried by a bearing blOCl-i Bearing block 122 isprovided with linear ball bearings 123 that engage rails 12 As shown inFIG. 9, the rails 12d attached to supports 125 that in turn are atta cled to base plate 58, the rails being parallel to the shaft 56.Accordingly, translation of bearing blocl; 122 serves to translate thefilm carriage 55, without impeding rotation thereof, via the action ofdog 121 in groove 128'.

As previously mentioned, the sheet carpi-age is rotated and translatedby the operation of the control members 36, 3 1. The foregoing isaccomplished by means of cable linkages, reference being had now toFIGS. 3 and 8. Attached to shaft '71 associated with control member St?is a drive pulley 131 which is linked by cable 132 to a driven pulley133 which in turn is keyed to shaft 56 by key 5?. The cable 132 iswrapped several times around each of pulleys 131i, 133 to preventslippage thereon, ant is tensioned by means of a spring 134, 8, that isconnected between one end of cable 132 and a pin 135 disposed on theinward side of pulley 133. Accordingly, rotation of control. member 3%causes rotation of shaft 556, which previously set forth, causesrotation of the film sheet carriage 55.

Control member 331, FIG. 3, is similarly linked to drive bearing block122 so as to translate the carriage 55. As shown in FIG. 10, the shaft8b which is associated with control member 35. carries a pulley 82around which a cable 13% is wound several times. Cable R38 is guided bysix idler pulleys 139, FIG. 3, and connected to an upright pin that isattached to an arm 141 extending from the bearing block 122, see FEGS. 3-md 9.

Referring again to FIG. 3, it will be seen that as film sheet carriage55 is rotated and translated by operation of the control members fill,31, any of the microinrages in the array of microimages on film sheet 45may be positioned in operative relationship with an imageprojectingmeans indicated generally at 15%. The is means comprises a projectionlamp 151i, lens 152, mirrors 153 and, in addition, the viewing screen 35disposed on the top portion of inclined plate 51. Turning to theprojection lamp 151, it will be seen that it comprises a housing 155carried at the end of an arm see which extends through the right-handend plate 92 (see PEG. 5) of carriage 55, end plate 92 having a suitableC-shaped opening 99 therein to accommodate the arm 156 as the carriage55 rotates less than a full revolution. The 156 at end opposite thelight housing 155 is carried by a bracket 157, FZG. 3, attached to baseplate 55 As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 155 contains a lamp 159, areflector loll! and an optically flat window lot. The housing 155 is soanranged that the window 161 does not contact film sheet as duringmovement of the carriage 55, FIG. 3. in FIG. 4, the film sheet 45 isshown pressed 7 against the optically-flat window lti'l by a filmflattener 162, whereby the film sheet 45 is slightly deformed from itsnormally cylindrical shape. The purpose of the film flattener 162 is, ofcourse, to position the film in a fixed, fiat object plane to obtain aclear image of the film.

The flattener 162, which is generally doughnut shaped with an opening163, is carried by a pivoted arm 164. The arm 164 is actuated by asolenoid 165 whose plunger 1 .66 is biased outward by an internallycontained spring. Plunger 166 is connected to the pivoted arm 164 bymeans of a pin 167 that engages a slot 168 in arm 164 so that theplunger 166 does not experience vertical stresses as the arm 164rotates. To prevent the fiattener 162, from dam aging the film, thepivoted arm 164 is attached to an air dashpot 170 carried by a bracket1'71 attached to base plate 50. The dashpot litl clamps the motion ofarm in the direction towards the film. From the foregoing, it will beevident that application of energizing current to solenoid 165 causesflattener 162 to be withdrawn from the film sheet 45 so that the lattermay be moved by its carriage without undesirably contacting the window16, and that interruption of energizing current to solenoid 165 causesfiattener 162 to gently press the film sheet 45 against the opticallyfiat window 161. The manner in which the energizing current is appliedand interrupted will be described hereinafter.

The next element of the image-projecting means 156, FIG. 3, is the lens152 which is best seen in FIG. 4. This lens preferably consists of anachromatic lens element 175 carried in focussing ring 176.

As will readily be appreciated, it is desirable that the projectionmeans be blanked out when the film sheet 45 is being moved. Toaccomplish this objective, the rotary solenoid 178, FIG. 4, is providedbehind the lens 152, and carries an opaque flag 184: which is movedupwards by the solenoid to block the projected image. The rotarysolenoid 178 is spring biased downwards so that the flag 180 is liftedonly when the solenoid is energized, in a manner to be describedhereinafter.

To display the image produced by the image-projecting means on theviewing screen 35, mirrors 182 and 183, FIG. 4, are arranged to reflectthe projected light upwards and back towards the front of the apparatuswhere the screen 35 is pivotally-mounted on inclined plate 51.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that when the lamp 159 is lightedand solenoids 165 and 178 are (16-- energized, the film lsheet 45 ispressed against the window 161 and thereby into coincidence with apredetermined object plane, so that a focused image appears on theviewing screen 35. It is evident also that application of energizingcurrent to the solenoids 165 and 178' causes the viewing screen 35 to bedarkened and film sheet 45 to be released so that the film sheetcarriage 55, FIG. 3, may be moved without injury to the film sheet.

The means by which the film carriage 55, FIG. 3, is automaticallyindexed will now be described. Keyed to the left end of shaft 56 is atoothed wheel 2% which has a plurality of evenly-spaced teeth as seenbest in FIG. 8. The angle between adjacent teeth corresponds to theangle of rotation of shaft 56 that advances film sheet 45, FIG. 3, onehorizontal row. As shown in FIG. 8, toothed wheel 2% is arranged to beengaged by a detent pin Zrll. The detent pin 2M, shown best in EEG. 12,extends between the ends of a U-shaped member 202, and is carried byminiature ball bearings 2%? whereby the pin easily engages the teeth ofwheel Referring again to FIG. 8, it will be seen that the member 2&2 itattached to a long lever 2&3 that is actuated by a solenoid 264, biasedoutwardly by a spring 2&5, lever 2% being pivoted at its top end to abracket 2% attached to base plate d. Also interconnected between thelever 203 and bracket 2% is an air dashpot 2W to prevent the detent pin261 from being damaged by the action of spring 2&5. At the lower end oflever 2% is a small block =38 that engages the operating button 211 of amicroswitch Zltl. This microswitch is normally closed, being opened whenbutton 211 is depressed. The purpose of microswitch 21d will beexplained hereinafter. For present purposes, it will suffice tosummarize that energization of solenoid 23 1* causes detent pin 261d tobe Withdrawn from toothed wheel 2% so that shaft 5d to which it issecured may be rotated, and causes microswitch 21) to be closed.Conversely, when solenoid 264 is deenergized, detent pin 281 gentlyengages toothed wheel 20%), causing the film matrix to be indexed sothat the selected row of microimages is aligned with the projectionmeans 150 of FIG. 3. in addition, microswitch 20% is opened.

The translational movement of the film carriage 55, FIG. 3, isautomatically indexed in a manner similar to the foregoing. As shown inFEGS. 3 and 9, the bearing lock 122 which carries dog Tl, HG. 5, fortranslating the carriage 55, also carries a toothed bar 22.), the teethof which are spaced an amount corresponding to the distance between thecolumns of microimages on film sheet 45, FIG. 3. The left end of thistoothed bar 2% carries a small wheel 226, FIG. 9, which rides on araised track 229. In this manner, the engagement of detent pin 221,which is similar to the pin 2% shown in FIG. 12, with toothed bar 220causes the selected column of microimages to be aligned with theprojection means 15%, P16. 3. Detent pin 221 is attached to a lever 222having a pivot 223 at its mid-portion. The lever 222 is actuated by aspring biased solenoid 224 dashpot 225 being provided to damp the springaction. The left end of lever Z22 actuates a normally closed microswitch230'. To summarize, energization of solenoid 22.4 releases the filmsheet carriage so that it may be moved and also closes microswitch 230.Deenergization of solenoid 224 causes the film carriage 55 to be indexedto align the selected column of microimages on film sheet 45, and opensmicro-switch 230.

The functions of microswitches 210 and 23d associated with the indexinglevers 203, 222. will now be described. Referring to FIG. 13, it will beseen that these switches are connected in parallel whereby the closureof either causes a relay 4% to be energized. Relay 4% in turn closes itscontact 401 to apply energizing current to the film fiattener removingsolenoid 165 (see FIG. 4) and the flag raising solenoid 178. Hence, itwill be evident that when the detent levers 2%, FIG. 8, and 222, RS. 3,are withdrawn to release their associated detent pins from the toothedmembers, the normally closed microswitches 210, 230 close and cause thefilm fiattener 162, FIG. 4, to release the film sheet 45 and the flag toraise so as to darken the viewing screen 35. In this manner,energization of the detent withdrawing solenoids 294, 224, FIG. 3,automatically places the film carriage in movable condition, anddeene-rgization of those solenoids automatically aligns the selectedmicroimage for projection and flattens that mioroimage against thewindow 161.

Accordingly the means for energizing and deenergizing the detentsolenoids 264, 224, PEG. 3, will be described. The switches for thesesolenoids are contained in the control members 3h, 31, FIGS. 1 and 3,and are so arranged that the application of operating torque to thesemembers causes the switches to close. Referring to FIG. 10, it will beseen that the control member 31 is not directly attached to shaft 86,but rather freely rides on a Teflon bearing member 251. Attached to theunderside of control member 31 is a projection 252 adapted to fitbetween the sides of a -U-shaped channel 253, 3 and 14, secured to adisc 254 which in turn is afiixed to the shaft 86 PEG. 10. Theprojection 25?. is narrower than the width of the channel 253, and thechannel sides have holes through which the operating buttons ofmicroswitches 256, 257 protrude. These microswitches are attached to thedisc 2,54, and their Wires pass through a hole 258 into the hollowinterior of shaft By this construction, actuation of the control member31 causes it to rotate a small initial angle on its Teflon bearing Z51.During such initial rotation, the projection 252, FIG. 10, depresses thebutton of the nearer microswitch, causing it to close its contacts. Theprojection 252 then engages the nearer side of the channel 253 andapplies troque thereto. The torque is, of course, transferred to thedisc 254 and thence to the shaft 8%, FIG. 10. As previously explained,shaft 80 carries pulleys 79 and 82 which are linked to the cursor 27,and to the dog 121, FIG; 5, that translates the film sheet carriage 55of FIG. 3. Accordingly, actuation of the control member 31 initiatesthree functions, namely, closure of one of the microswitches 256, 257,translation of c-ursor 27, and translation of the film carriage.

The other control member fail is also provided with microswitches (notshown) that close during a small angle of initial rotation. Thearrangement illustrated in connection with control member 31 may beadapted for rotation about the horizontal shaft 71, FIG. 3, or anyequivalent thereto may be employed.

As previously mentioned, actuation of any one of the microswitchescontained in the control members 3%), 31 is adapted to energize thedetent-releasing solenoids 204, 224, FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 13, itwill be seen that the microswitches 256, 257 in control member 3 1 andthe microswitches designated 256, 257 and contained in control member 30are all connected in parallel, whereby closure of any one of them causesrelay 405 to be energized, whereupon its contact 496 closes to energizethe detent-releasing solenoids 204, 224. It will be recalled thatenengization of these solenoids results in the closure of microswitches2110, 230, which in turn energizes the film fiattener removing solenoid16-5 and flag-raising solenoid 178, FIG. 4. Thus, actuation of either ofcontrol members 39, 31 causes the film carriage 55 and film sheet 45 tobe released and the viewing screen 35 to be darkened. Conversely,release of both control members 30, 31 automatically causes the filmcarriage 55 to be indexed so that the selected microimage 46 is alignedwith respect to the light of projection lamp 159, causes that microimageto be flattened into a predetermined image plane, and lowers the flag sothat the image is projected onto the viewing screen.

To operate the apparatus, the searcher selectes the peek-a-boo memberssuch as the cards 41, 41', FIG. 2, that correspond to a searchprescription, stacks them, and slips the stack onto surface 20 beneaththe selector means 25, taking care to align the stack with the pins 2123and to clamp the stack in place with the clip mechanism 24. With switch37, FIGS. 1 and 13, in the on position, the fluorescent lamp 102disposed beneath the surface 2% is energized, whereby the peek-a-booindications common to all cards in the stack are readily observable. Bymanipulating the control members 3t), 31, the searcher sets the smallsquare 29 of the selector 25 on one of the peek-a-boo indications, thefirst one to be set on usually being the one that is in the topleft-hand position, since such position is the usual starting positionin reading, although the indications may be set on in any desired order.While the searcher is actuating the control members, the viewing screen35 is dark since the switches contained in these members are closed,causing the rotary solenoid 1'78 to raise the flag 18f associatedtherewith to block the light projected by lamp 115%. As the searcherapproaches the condition wherein the square 29 is set on a peek-a-booindication, he applies correspondingly less torque to the controlmembers 36, 31. As soon as the torque applied to both control membersgoes to zero or very nearly Zero, the switches in the members open,causing the indexing solenoids 264, 224, FIG. 3, to release theirspring-biased armatures and thereby align the selected row and selectedcolumn of microimages with respect to the light projected from lamp 159.As the levers 203, 222, driven by these armatures near their finalposition, they open the microswitches 219, 236, causing solenoids 165,178 to be released, whereby the film sheet 45 is flattened into thepredetermined image plane, and the flag is lowered to allow the image ofthe abstract-citation corresponding to the selected peek-a-booindication to appear on the viewing screen 35. In this manner, theoperator is automatically freed from expending conscious effort toaccurately set the selector on a peek-a-boo indication. As will readilybe appreciated, such feature avoids fatiguing the searcher, enabling himto concentrate his efforts on his search.

Having obtained the short abstract-citation corresponding to theselected peek-a-boo indication, the searcher may read it, and if itappears to meet his search requirements, he may record it in anyconvenient manner. For example, he may copy the citation to the completedocument by hand. Alternatively, the optical system of the apparatus maybe provided with means to photograph the projected image by operation ofa suitable control member.

If the projected abstract-citation does not appear satisfactory, thesearcher will not copy it, but will proceed to set the selector means 25on another peelz-a-boo indication. If a number of unsatisfactoryindications are obtained, he may review and modify his searchprescription by selecting other peek-a-boo members.

In the above-described embodiment of the invention, the surface 20carries the peek-a-boo members. As will readily be appreciated, it isonly necessary that the surface receive peek-a-boo indications in asuitable manner. For example, the peek-a-boo indications could bearranged on the surface by projection of the images of peek-a-booindications thereon. In a similar manner, the selector 25 need notoverlay the surface 29. If desired, the selector 25 may be arranged sothat its image lies over the surface 2%), so that such image may be seton a selected peek-a-boo indication. In this connection, it is intendedthat the term selector be construed to include the situation wherein theimage of an actual selector is set on peek-a-boo indications.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the specificembodiments of the invention heretofore set forth without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. The invention is accordingly not to belimited to the specific structure shown and described, but only asindicated in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Information retrieval apparatus comprising, at least one set ofpeek-a-boo members, said members collectively having an array ofpossible peek-a-boo indications each of which is dedicated to adifferent document, a film sheet having an array of microimages that arein one-to-one correspondence with said array of pock-a-boo indications,a film sheet carriage for holding said film sheet, image-proiectingmeans, said film sheet carriage being positionable with respect to saiimage-projecting means to project an enlarged image of any microimage onsaid film sheet, means for holding selected ones of said set ofpeek-a-boo members, selector means adapted to be set on one of thepeek-a-boo indications common to said selected ones of said peek-a-boomembers, control means for setting said selector means on a selectedpeel:- a-boo indication, said control means being operable to drive saidfilm sheet carriage to position the micreimage corresponding to saidselected peek-a-boo indication for projection by said image-projectingmeans.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wheein alignment means areprovided, said alignment means being responsive to a predeterminedminimum amount of applied force on said control means for aligning saidfilm sheet carriage so that said microimage corresponding to saidselected peek-a-boo indication is aligned with respect to saidimage-projecting means, whereby the selector means may be set withinconvenient tolerances on said selected peek-a-boo indication.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, where said alignment meansincludes means for moving said corresponding microimage into apredetermined image plane, whereby said pr ected image is automaticallyfocused in response to a minimum amount of applied force on said controlmeans.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said film sheet carriageis movable in first and second directions, said control means comprisingfirst and second control members operable to drive said carriage in saidfirst and second directions, respectively, said carriage having firstand second means for indexing movement in each of said "rst and seconddirections in increments corresponding to the distance between theadjacent microimages on said film sheet as measured in each of saiddirections with respect to said image-projecting means, respectively;first and second detent means for engaging said first and secondindexing means, respectively; first and second solenoid means foractuating said first and second detent means, respectively; and meansfor energizing both said first and second solenoids in response to anapplied force of a magnitude exceeding a predetermined minimum to eitherof said first and second control members, whereby said detent means areautomatically disengaged from said indexing means when forces in excessof said predetermined minimum are applied to said control members, andwhereby said detent means are automatically engaged when the forcesapplied to said control members are below said predetermined minimumthereby causing the selected microirnage to be aligned with respect tosaid image-projecting meansv 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4,wherein each of said first and second control members comprises ahandwheel having switches associated therewith, said switches beingactuated by the application of torque in excess of a predeterminedminimum torque.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said selector meanscomprises first and second cursors movable in first and seconddirections, respectively; the intersection of said cursors being adaptedto be set on a desired peek-a-boo indication, said first and secondcursors being driven by said first and second control members,respectively.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein film flattening means areprovided for moving the microimage adjacent said image-projecting meansinto a predetermined image plane, image-blocking means for blocking theimage projected by said image-projecting means, means for removingsaidimage-blocking means, both said filmflattening means and said removingmeans being operable in response to deactuation of either of said firstand second detent means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATrj PATENTS

1. INFORMATION RETRIEVAL APPARATUS COMPRISING, AT LEAST ONE SET OFPEEK-A-BOO MEMBERS, SAID MEMBERS COLLECTIVELY HAVING AN ARRAY OFPOSSIBLE PEEK-A-BOO INDICATIONS EACH OF WHICH IS DEDICATED TO ADIFFERENT DOCUMENT, A FILM SHEET HAVING AN ARRAY OF MICROIMAGES THAT AREIN ONE-TO-ONE CORRESPONDENCE WITH SAID ARRAY OF PEEK-A-BOO INDICATIONS,A FILM SHEET CARRIAGE FOR HOLDING SAID FILM SHEET, IMAGE-PROJECTINGMEANS, SAID FILM SHEET CARRIAGE BEING POSITIONABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAIDIMAGE-PROJECTING MEANS TO PROJECT AN ENLARGED IMAGE OF ANY MICROIMAGE ONSAID FILM SHEET, MEANS FOR HOLDING SELECTED ONES OF SAID SET OFPEEK-A-BOO MEMBERS, SELECTOR MEANS ADAPTED TO BE SET ON ONE OF THEPEEK-A-BOO INDICATIONS COMMON TO SAID SELECTED ONES OF SAID PEEK-A-BOOMEMBERS, CONTROL MEANS FOR SETTING SAID SELECTOR MEANS ON A SELECTEDPEEKA-BOO INDICATION, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO DRIVE SAIDFILM SHEET CARRIAGE TO POSITION THE MICROIMAGE CORRESPONDING TO SAIDSELECTED PEEK-A-BOO INDICATION FOR PROJECTION BY SAID IMAGE-PROJECTINGMEANS.